When Radamel Falcao penned a loan deal to Manchester United, optimism was sky high at Old Trafford as the Red Devils prepared to introduce one of the best strikers in the World. A few months in, he's proved to perform far from that.And now, as the January transfer window throws up a deluge of speculation and rumours, Falcao's name has swivelled around media outlets—could he be leaving Manchester United?

Despite being fit, Louis Van Gaal, surprisingly, omitted the Colombian from both the starting lineup and bench in their stunning loss to Southampton at Old Trafford in the weekend.Hitting the back of the net just 3 times in the United stripes so far, Radamel Falcao has hardly lived up to his reputation as one of the World's best strikers after a blockbuster deadline day deal in the summer.Fitness has indubitably been at the centre of that, but catapulting this topic into the spotlight is his exclusion from the entire squad against Southampton. "El Tigre" joined for a loan-spell from Monaco as the Red Devils looked to lock him down permanently soon after. Now though, that's in doubt.A debate about the time it takes to adapt to the furious force of the Premier League lost it's bargaining time long ago for the case of the striker. When at his best, dating back to the days of him lighting up the Vicente Calderon in Madrid, he was widely recognised as one of the more elite strikers on the planet.Showing shades of some of his best when he went to Monaco, the South American star scored 9 goals in a total of 17 appearances at the Stade Louis II, according to Squawka. After a peculiar exodus ensued from the French club, United fans were marvelling in the anticipation of Falcao translating that form to the Barclays Premier League.Louis Van Gaal, speaking to media following the defeat, expressed absolutely no regret in leaving him out from the game entirely. Asked by BBC Sport on whether he regretted the move, he simply responded, "No".

Van Gaal says he wanted cover in defence and out wide, explaining there was no place for a "second striker". - BBC Sport

Earning £265,000 a week, one of the best strikers in the World and not even getting to the bench? There surely must be some underlying issues, impatience or the Dutchman simply may want to give the forward a wake-up call, if he's operating in an unorthodox manner from his usual self.His wages, reputation and previous performances before the role at Manchester United have put a vast range of expectations on the striker. Impatience has slowly been settling in. Factors in which he can actually be grateful for is the fact that injuries ruling him out have thus far prevented the criticism that players like Mario Balotelli have received.Louis Van Gaal explained that there was no room for a second striker. In such a league like the Barclays Premier League, sporadic appearances for Falcao is something that really shouldn't be happening.Instead, Robin van Persie and Angel Di Maria were spear-heading the front two of Van Gaal's beloved 3-5-2 formation. However, the Puskas award nominee picked up an injury following the clash. Does this open the door for Falcao to fill in?

Van Persie's scan could tilt the decision. Image: AtomicSoda.com

Something tells me no. It all will hinge on the impending scan. Even then though, with a need for Ander Herrera to make things tick in the mid-field, will Rooney go up front? If that's the case then surely the Colombian is on the way out.Last week, during an interview, he put some speculation at rest stating he was "happy" speaking to ManUtd.com.

"I'm good. My family are comfortable. We're enjoying life in Manchester and here at the club. The people have been great with me, with my family. We're happy and very grateful." - Radamel Falcao speaking to ManUtd.com

However, not to doubt those quotes, the events against Southampton changed that. Falcao deserves to start, his reputation has built him enough comfort and bargaining time for that. Yet, for the manager to pull a quote about him not being needed due to defensive priorities is baffling.It's not really been the words coming out of the actual player's mouth, either.Falcao's agent, Jorge Mendes has been causing a stir in the window. Often referred to as a "super-agent", the Portugese 28-year-old's star-studded clients include Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez, Angel Di Maria, Jose Mourinho and others."He will play in one of the very best clubs in the world next season, whether that is Manchester United or not," he told the media. A statistic of 201.3 goals per minute is almost a given to rise, but it's now a case of where he'll be improving that statline.

Poll: Should Falcao Leave Manchester United?

As the story has continued to develop, it's soon turning into a case of Falcao staying out the loan spell for United. That could be further likely now with the van Persie injury, but for big giants, like Juventus who have been linked with the Colombian, waiting it out may not suffice—they could swoop for him in this window.Falcao shouldn't even be on the bench, he should be starting whenever he's fit. Not only does his massive wages see to that but his unquestionable talents need time to yield their success upon United. You never know, maybe he will exponentially improve if he does stay to the end of the season, but again that further opens him up to other clubs. Based on his career, being dropped should be a massive weight on deciding whether to stay at Old Trafford. Thinking from his perspective, if he wants to reach the heights of his previous, prolific self, then he may want to target a club that has space to field a striker, which surely shouldn't be hard.As the transfer window continues to gather a full head of steam, Falcao's head should be full of decision-making: whether he stays on and tries to define his legacy on one of the biggest clubs in football at a risk of sabotaging his reputation, or move on to emulate his best.